anthropologie’s botanicals

I am just as enamored of the Anthropologie’s latest catalog as my friend Deb. Inspiration for boat vases?

birds and grass

I’m trying a new approach to the images on the boat vases: grass with the sky looming behind, a bird cutting across the summer blue, a single butterfly hovering above a tulip. They all remind me of lazy summers as a kid at my grandmother’s dacha.

cup and saucer

I created a custom cup for a friend who liked the idea of "xo" appearing at the bottom of a cup of hot chocolate. The saucer just begged to go with the cup, and now all are happy on her kitchen shelf.

Photograph by Ayesha Patel

tulip cups

Introducing the new tulip cups, just in time for spring.

In comparison to the wee t cup, it is slightly taller, the lip flares out a bit, and the foot is more pronounced, all making it look similar to a tulip flower.

Some cups have “xo” stamped in, and I love the way this funky lavender glaze accentuates the letters.

the porcelain room by edmund de waal

“In a quiet but resolute way, [Edmund De Waal] has begun to reshape our sense of the history of modern ceramics and the possibilities of the form.” ~The Times

specimen no. 10

I love this image with the small gourd bowl taken by Jen Renninger, one of my favorite illustrators. It speaks to my fascination with collections, and specimens, and cataloging. Jen and I have never met in person, but have exchanged creations and emails. Jen is one of the treasured connections this blog has brought into my life. See more of Jen’s photography here.

glazed, finally

The glazed boat vases came out of the kiln today, and I’m pleased. Making these has been such a long drawn out process, that it’s very satisfying to hold a finished piece. I experimented with glazing a bit, layering and alternating colors. I like the direction it’s going, and will continue to play with layers of glaze in the future.

boat vases, continued

I’m a little surprised that the boat vases survived the bisque firing completely intact. There have been so many issues in their making, that I keep expecting next steps to bring more trouble. I was happy to discover that was not the case when I unloaded the kiln this morning. I proceeded to glaze their insides, the exteriors will be glazed once the interior dries. Here they are, happily drying.